We have a number of instructors who teach at CEC, and can provide lessons for riders of all ages and abilities. We have 4 well-known and highly respected dressage instructors, as well as a resident jumper / hunter/jumper instructor and two more instructors who specialize in teaching beginner to intermediate riders.

We strive to provide expert tuition in a relaxed atmosphere that creates an optimal learning environment for the rider and the horse. We can offer lessons year-round in our indoor arena. Parents and visitors can stay warm in winter in our heated tackroom / viewing room.

We have a number of experienced, reliable, versatile, and people-friendly school horses and ponies

Lessons with Mary Jo Zanolli, Lisa Kruger and Athene von Hirschberg cost:

$45 per half-hour private; $55 per 45 minutes private; $65 per hour private.

Prepaid packages at a reduced rate are also available.

Small groups (2 or 3) can be accommodated: $35 per rider for 1/2 hour; $45 per rider for 45 minutes; $55 per rider for 1 hour.

Lesson prices with other instructors are available on request.

We can also provide training and/or exercise for resident and visiting horses and ponies.

For enquiries, or further questions, please contact Athene:

athene@ctequestrian.com

Athene is also able to provide trail-riding lessons at the same rates.

Athene von Hirschberg

Athene von Hirschberg trained in South Africa where she benefited from the excellent standard of South African instructors, and was fortunate enough to have Mickey Louw, the South African stadium jumping champion, as an instructor for a number of years.

Athene particularly enjoys working with students who want to jump. While her specialty is stadium jumping, she also teaches hunter/jumpers and eventers, and also those who just want to jump for fun!.

Athene tailors her lessons to the individual requirements of each student.

An avid Trail Rider, and Versatility Competition enthusiast, she encourages her students to experience the world outside the arena.

Our first-class staff of instructors includes:

Sarah Geikie

Sarah believes in an educated approach to riding and training. As an active rider and trainer, she has trained five horses to the FEI level. On all of these horses, she has been very successful in the show ring. On Freispruch, she was invited twice to train with the USET. On Kentucky, she had many wins at Prix St Georges and Intermediare I, and was reserve champion at PSG in Region 8. In addition to her own success, Sarah has helped many riders become successful with their own horses, both in and out of the show ring. Many of her students have gone on to win top placing in the Regional Finals. She has also coached two silver medal teams in the NYARC competition.

She believes firmly in continuing education, both for herself and for her students. Sarah continues to train and improve herself to be able to pass this knowledge on to her students. Currently, she trains with Kathy Connelly. Sarah draws on her background in the Alexander Technique, T’ai Chi, Feldenkrais Technique as well as classical dance in her teaching style.

In 2007, Sarah was promoted to an FEI C Dressage judge, which is a major accomplishment. Most recently, she has become an Examiner for the Instructor/Trainer Program. She is the first Certified Instructor to come up through the program to become an Examiner. She has been a Certified Instructor and Faculty Chairperson for the program for 10 years.

Sarah loves to teach and help serious riders of all levels. With her wealth of experience and knowledge, she can help all riders to improve their relationship and potential with their own horse. 

We are very fortunate to have Sarah, and her horse, Waterhouse, in residence at Connecticut Equestrian Center.

Dee Loveless

"R" Dressage Judge
USDF Bronze and Silver medalist
Dressage instructor and trainer

Dee began showing hunters more than 25 years ago - but soon moved on to eventing before specializing in dressage in 1990. She has been successful in competing horses, through the years in NJ, Texas, Oklahoma, and New England. Dee has enjoyed training her horses to various levels of competition, including Roy who competed through Grand Prix. Dee has developed her methodology from a variety of talented teachers, including “old world” classicists (Major Szilagyi, Capt. de Szinay) and modern sport trainers (Messrs. Theunissen, Parra, Moritz, van Bergen, Kubelke). Her lessons are aimed at teaching riders how to “train” their own horses every time they ride them. She understands if you are not in full training with someone, this is what you have to learn how to do. She helps her students develop a training system for their horses that fits with their short and long term goals so they can be successful as trainers of their own horses. Please go to www.deeloveless.com for more complete information about Dee, her background and horses.

Tim also acquired references from two Olympians from two different countries for sponsorship from The American Horse Trials Foundation. He has been coached by two-time Olympian Ashley Holzer since 2002. Tim utilizes his background in Sports Psychology and body mechanics with the Alexander Technique to help students overcome their challenges.

Timothy F. Malin

USDF Gold, Silver & Bronze Medalist

Tim has been a professional trainer, coach and competitor for over thirty years. Few can claim the success he has had in multiple disciplines. Tim and his students have had great success at both Hunter/Jumper “A” shows to the indoor levels and Dressage at the CDI level. He operated the top show barn, Golden Mean.

Tim is presently focused on his dressage career and has earned his USDF Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. He is an FEI rider currently listed on the National and World Rankings. Tim is successfully competing in the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle in the CDI*** divisions. He has received individual judge’s scores to 70.5% in the High Performance Grand Prix level classes. National and local organizations have acknowledged Tim with numerous awards from training to Grand Prix. He is a top competitor at prestigious shows including Dressage at Devon, The Palm Beach Derby Series and the Winter Equestrian Festival. Tim has been FEI High Score competing Grand Prix. He was highly ranked in the Pan American Games Qualifiers for USET.

Deb Moynihan, RN BSN

USDF Certified Dressage Instructor/Trainer

Deb is a Centered Riding Instructor/Clinician who has been riding for over 40 years, and has been teaching for 25. Her extensive experience includes the following:

• Jumpers (Preliminary/ Amateur Owner)
• Eventing to Preliminary Level
• Dressage to Third level
• Centered Riding Instructor / Clinician since 1988; Level IV apprentice
• Owner - Irish Acres Farm LTD for 21 years

Lisa Kruger

Lisa Kruger is the newest addition to CEC's outstanding teaching staff. Lisa has an extensive exquestrian background, starting as a young rider at a hunter barn at the age of 8, and continuing riding well into her college years. The Kruger family's love of horses is clearly a genetic trait, as Lisa's mother was an instructor and judge, and both Lisa's daughters ride at CEC. More recently Lisa has been involved at CEC as Barn Manager, horse-show-parent, and proud owner of a new pony.

After almost a decade as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, Lisa is excited to combine her love of children and teaching with her passion for horses. In her own words, “Horseback riding helps children immensely with their self esteem and gives them an outlet that encourages self reliance, promotes self confidence and increases independence. “ Lisa’s individual style is positive and encouraging and gives novice riders a solid foundation on which to build correct horsemanship skills, and helps promote a lifetime of love for riding and horses.

Mary Jo began riding as a child at a local eventing barn. As a teenager, she developed a passion for dressage, which continued into adulthood. She went to school to study Equine Management, hoping to combine a love of horses with a career in the field. She enjoys passing on her knowledge and her love of horses to her students.

For more information on Mary Jo Zanolli, click here.

Mary Jo Zanolli

Mary Jo has been a riding instructor for over 12 years, teaching mostly beginner children and adults, as well as intermediate riders. Her strong dressage background helps her focus on developing a rider’s seat and balance before moving on to more advanced work, such as jumping or riding a lower-level dressage test. Her enthusiasm for teaching and the relationships she establishes with her students help riders to progress confidently through their lessons.